In vitro electrocardiographic and cardiac ion channel effects of (-)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate, the main catechin of green tea.

Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) is the major catechin found in green tea. EGCG is also available for consumption in the form of concentrated over-the-counter nutritional supplements. This compound is currently undergoing clinical trials for the treatment of a number of diseases including multiple sclerosis, and a variety of cancers. To date, few data exist regarding the effects of EGCG on the electrophysiology of the heart. Therefore, we examined the effects of EGCG on the electrocardiogram recorded from Langendorff-perfused guinea pig hearts and on cardiac ion channels using patch-clamp electrophysiology. EGCG had no significant effects on the electrocardiogram at concentrations of 3 and 10 microM. At 30 microM, EGCG prolonged PR and QRS intervals, slightly shortened the QT interval, and altered the shape of the ST-T-wave segment. The ST segment merged with the upstroke of the T wave, and we noted a prolongation in the time from the peak of the T wave until the end. Patch-clamp studies identified the KvLQT1/minK K(+) channel as a target for EGCG (IC(50) = 30.1 microM). In addition, EGCG inhibited the cloned human cardiac Na(+) channel Na(v)1.5 in a voltage-dependent fashion. The L-type Ca(2+) channel was inhibited by 20.8% at 30 microM, whereas the human ether-a-go-go-related gene and Kv4.3 cardiac K(+) channels were less sensitive to inhibition by EGCG. ECGC has a number of electrophysiological effects in the heart, and these effects may have clinical significance when multigram doses of this compound are used in human clinical trials or through self-ingestion of large amounts of over-the-counter products enriched in EGCG.

Models of torsades de pointes: effects of FPL64176, DPI201106, dofetilide, and chromanol 293B in isolated rabbit and guinea pig hearts.

INTRODUCTION: For studying the torsades de pointes (TdP) liability of a compound, most high and medium throughput methods use surrogate markers such as HERG inhibition and QT prolongation. In this study, we have tested whether isolated hearts may be modified to allow TdP to be the direct readout. METHOD: Isolated spontaneously beating rabbit and guinea pig hearts were perfused according to the Langendorff method in hypokalemic (2.1 mM) solution. The in vitro lead II ECG equivalent and the incidence of TdP were monitored for 1 h. In addition, heart rate, QTc, Tp-Te, short-term variability (STV), time to arrhythmia, and time to TdP were also analyzed. RESULTS: FPL64176, a calcium channel activator; and DPI201106, a sodium channel inactivation inhibitor, produced TdP in isolated rabbit and guinea pig hearts in a concentration dependent manner; guinea pig hearts were 3- to 5-fold more sensitive than rabbit hearts. Both compounds also increased QTc and STV. In contrast, dofetilide, an IKr inhibitor, produced no (or a low incidence of) TdP in both species, in spite of prolongation of QTc intervals. Chromanol 293B, an IKs inhibitor, did not produce TdP in rabbit hearts but elicited TdP concentration dependently in guinea pig hearts even though the compound had no effect on QTc intervals. CONCLUSION: IKs inhibition appears to be more likely to produce TdP in isolated guinea pig hearts than IKr inhibition. Chromanol 293B did not produce TdP in rabbit hearts presumably due to a low level of IKs channels in the heart. TdP produced in this study was consistent with the notion that its production was a consequence of reduced repolarization reserve, thereby causing rhythmic abnormalities. This isolated, perfused, and spontaneously beating rabbit and guinea pig heart preparation in hypokalemic medium may be useful as a preclinical test model for studying proarrhythmic liability of compounds in new drug development.

Isolated perfused and paced guinea pig heart to test for drug-induced changes of the QT interval.

INTRODUCTION: One of the biomarkers for assessing the risk of a cardiac adverse event is drug-induced prolongation of the QT interval. A model is needed for evaluating the potential liability of test compounds on QT interval in vitro. Since QT intervals can be generated from paced or spontaneously beating hearts, data so generated can also be used for validating QT(c) correction equations. METHODS: Isolated guinea pig hearts were perfused in Locke's solution according to the Langendorff method. QT intervals were routinely measured from Lead II ECG waveforms. RESULTS: Compounds known to inhibit HERG channel, such as dofetilide, prolonged the QT interval in this model. (+/-)Bay K8644, a calcium channel activator, prolonged the QT interval, while verapamil, a calcium channel blocker, shortened it. Procainamide, a sodium channel blocker, also prolonged the QT interval. Many of the compounds, which prolonged the QT interval, also prolonged PR interval, suggesting dual inhibition of the Ikr channel, the rapid component of delayed rectifier potassium channel, and the calcium channel. The QT/RR intervals exhibited a curvilinear relationship, which could be corrected into nearly straight horizontal lines by using correction equations derived from linear, parabolic, and hyperbolic models. However, these correction equations yielded different results on the QT prolongation produced by sotalol, which also slowed down the heart rate. With the data set obtained in this investigation, correction equations derived from linear and parabolic models worked better than the equations derived from the hyperbolic model. The exponential model did not fit at all. CONCLUSION: QT intervals obtained under paced conditions provide the most direct and reliable QT information for a drug. The isolated perfused and paced guinea pig heart is a convenient model for studying the effect of compounds on QT interval in vitro.

Discovery of a small molecule activator of the human ether-a-go-go-related gene (HERG) cardiac K+ channel.

Many drugs inhibit the human ether-a-go-go-related gene (HERG) cardiac K+ channel. This leads to action potential prolongation on the cellular level, a prolongation of the QT interval on the electrocardiogram, and sometimes cardiac arrhythmia. To date, no activators of this channel have been reported. Here, we describe the in vitro electrophysiological effects of (3R,4R)-4-[3-(6-methoxyquinolin-4-yl)-3-oxo-propyl]-1-[3-(2,3,5-trifluoro-phenyl)-prop-2-ynyl]-piperidine-3-carboxylic acid (RPR260243), a novel activator of HERG. Using patch-clamp electrophysiology, we found that RPR260243 dramatically slowed current deactivation when applied to cells stably expressing HERG. The effects of RPR260243 on HERG channel deactivation were temperature- and voltage-dependent and occurred over the concentration range of 1 to 30 microM. RPR260243-modified HERG currents were inhibited by dofetilide (IC50 = 58 nM). RPR260243 had little effect on HERG current amplitude and no significant effects on steady-state activation parameters or on channel inactivation processes. RPR260243 displayed no activator-like effects on other voltage-dependent ion channels, including the closely related erg3 K+ channel. RPR260243 enhanced the delayed rectifier current in guinea pig myocytes but, when administered alone, had little effect on action potential parameters in these cells. However, RPR260243 completely reversed the action potential-prolonging effects of dofetilide in this preparation. Using the Langendorff heart method, we found that 5 microM RPR260243 increased T-wave amplitude, prolonged the PR interval, and shortened the QT interval. We believe RPR260243 represents the first known HERG channel activator and that the drug works primarily by inhibiting channel closure, leading to a persistent HERG channel current upon repolarization. Compounds like RPR260243 will be useful for studying the physiological role of HERG and may one day find use in treating cardiac disease.